Process Extension Wizard for Coherent Multi-Dimensional Business Process Models

1. A computer program product tangibly embodied on a non-transient computer readable medium for processing a coherent multi-dimensional business process model, the computer program product storing instructions operable when executed by a hardware processor to: identify the coherent multi-dimensional business process model based on identifying at least a portion of a first model for a first business process and identifying at least a portion of a second model for the first business process, the at least a portion of the first model for the first business process and the at least a portion of the second model for the first business process defining the coherent multi-dimensional business process model; parse the multi-dimensional business process model to identify at least one extension point, each of the at least one extension points operable to interface a disparate business process with the first business process, the at least one extension point identifying a non-invasive point of extension of the first business process; and present an extension wizard to a client for a particular one of the identified extension points, the extension wizard providing a user interface to guide the extension of the first business process based on the identified extension points and the disparate business process, wherein the extension wizard creates an underlying model in an extension layer showing an extended multi-dimensional business process model as an abstraction, the extended multi-dimensional business process model including at least one extension of the first business process.

2. The computer program product of claim 1 , the first model comprising a business process variant flow model and the second model comprising a state action model.

3. The computer program product of claim 1 , the identified multi-dimensional business process model protected from modification by the client.

4. The computer program product of claim 1 , the extension wizard presenting one or more extensibility patterns compatible with the particular extension point.

5. The computer program product of claim 4 , the extensibility patterns selected from the following: add a business task; add field; add after process; add before process; and add in between process.

6. The computer program product of claim 4 , the extensibility wizard operable to present a series of questions to the client based on the first model.

7. The computer program product of claim 4 further operable to add one or more modeling elements at the particular extension point in response to client input, the modeling elements representing the disparate business process.

8. The computer program product of claim 7 further operable to regenerate the coherent multi-dimensional business process model in response to the added modeled elements.

9. The computer program product of claim 8 , the computer program product operable to regenerate the coherent multi-dimensional business process model and further operable to: modify the first model to accommodate the added modeling elements; and regenerate the coherent multi-dimensional business process model in response to the first model being modified.

10. The computer program product of claim 9 further operable to present a portion of the modified first model to the client.

11. The computer program product of claim 8 further operable to execute a consistency verification process prior to the regeneration.

12. The computer program product of claim 7 further operable to receive a textual identifier of one of the modeling elements from the client.

13. The computer program product of claim 7 , each modeling element selected from the following: a process step; an operation; an inbound process agent; an outbound process agent; a task agent; a task type; a user-centric component; a business object; a flow; a timer; a process component; and a composite process component.

14. The computer program product of claim 1 , the extensibility point comprising an asynchronous process step operable to be replaced.

15. A computer implementable method for processing a coherent multi-dimensional business process model, the method performed by at least one hardware processor and comprising: identifying the coherent multi-dimensional business process model based on identifying at least a portion of a first model for a business process and identifying at least a portion of a second model for the business process, the at least a portion of the first model for the business process and the at least a portion of the second model for the business process defining the coherent multi-dimensional business process model; parsing the multi-dimensional business process model to identify at least one extension point, each extension point operable to interface a disparate business process with the business process, the at least one extension point identifying a non-invasive point of extension of the business process; and presenting an extension wizard to a client for a particular one of the identified extension points, the extension wizard presenting one or more extensibility patterns compatible with the particular extension point and providing a user interface to guide the extension of the business process based on the identified extension points and the disparate business process, wherein the extension wizard creates an underlying model in an extension layer showing an extended multi-dimensional business process model as an abstraction, the extended multi-dimensional business process model including at least one extension of the business process.

16. The method of claim 15 , the first model comprising a business process variant flow model and the second model comprising a state action model.

17. The method of claim 15 , the extensibility patterns selected from the following: add a business task; add field; add after process; add before process; and add in between process.

18. The method of claim 15 , the extensibility wizard operable to present a series of questions to the client based on the first model.

19. The method of claim 15 further comprising adding one or more modeling elements at the particular extension point in response to client input, the modeling elements representing the disparate business process.

20. The method of claim 19 further comprising: modifying the first model to accommodate the added modeling elements; and regenerating the coherent multi-dimensional business process model in response to the first model being modified.

21. The method of claim 20 further comprising presenting a portion of the modified first model to the client.

22. The method of claim 20 further comprising executing a consistency verification process prior to the regeneration.

23. The method of claim 19 further comprising receiving a textual identifier of one of the modeling elements from the client.

24. The method of claim 19 , each modeling element selected from the following: a process step; an operation; a business object; a flow; a timer; a process component; and a composite process component.

25. The method of claim 15 , the extensibility point comprising an asynchronous process step operable to be replaced.

26. The method of claim 15 further comprising creating: i) entities in an enterprise services repository (ESR), ii) corresponding proxies in a backend, and iii) automatic coding and configuration content at design time.

27. The computer program product of claim 1 wherein the extension wizard provides a visualization of the multi-dimensional business process model including the first business process, the disparate business process, and each extension point available for the first and disparate business processes.

28. The method of claim 15 further comprising visualizing the multi-dimensional business process model and each extension point available for the business process and the disparate business process of the multi-dimensional business process model.

29. The computer program product of claim 1 wherein the extension wizard automatically determines possible extension points permitted for the first business process of the multi-dimensional business process model.

30. The method of claim 15 wherein the extension wizard automatically determines possible extension points permitted for the business process of the multi-dimensional business process model.